Dreaming of Tomorrow, of Yesterday
by Tassie Taker
Summary: He knew this dream, how he knew it, he was unsure, as it was always forgotten by the time morning came. But he knew it, as if it was one he had often. Always forgotten, never remembered.


He knew this dream, how he knew it, he was unsure, as it was always forgotten by the time morning came. But he knew it, as if it was one he had often. Always forgotten, never remembered.

It started with a song that brought colour to the darkness, sunrays flittering to colour the landscape with a golden orange hue, a small town, or, perhaps you could call it a town, it was nothing like any town he could remember seeing, houses were made of stone and wood rather than brick, thatched roofs and dirt paths. A village of old, perhaps, but for the early hour, sunrise, the town was already a flock with people, their voices caring the song that had coloured his dream, walking in small groups, dressed in what seemed to be their best.

This day, was a special day.

Becoming a larger village whole they left the village together, huddled and still signing their song, words which he did not understand, a language he didn't know, or maybe he did, and he had just forgotten it somehow. Slowly, the group came to a stop and the crowd rippled as people moved, slowly, from out between legs came children, dressed their best as the adults were, some looking fearful, some nervous and some, like a certain pink haired boy whose face was stretched into a grin, excited.

In a line the children stood, ranging from the ages of five to ten, the pinkette perhaps the youngest, trying to keep themselves still as their parents huddled behind them, voices still crying out in song before a great roar broke the tune, the sun blackened by large wings as in a great swoop, a Dragon flew over them, sending clothes and hair flying, hats flying away in the wind it caused as the creature circled them before landing, causing the ground to shake. Bodies moving in one as the village moved to their knees in respect, only leaving the children standing, the clearing now deathly silent.

Red wings folded closed, golden eyes looking over each of the children slowly, moving from eldest to youngest, snout shifting as scents were taken in, a scar stark on red scale as his face slowly moved down the line, as if _looking_ for something, and then he paused upon the pinkette, the world not moving as he moved this time, inching closer to the boy.

_"Tell me. What is your name youngling?"_

The muzzle of the Dragon did not move, yet his voice rang out over them all, the young boy looking up at the dragon in pure awe, hazel eyes widened in delight.

"Natsu!" He was able to call out, voice filled with joy as the name might suggest, a small gasp heard from behind him as a woman with hair the same tone clutched closer to a male whose face mirrored the boy, tears streaming down her face. Yet the boy saw nothing, still looking up at this larger than life creature.

No more words came yet from the Dragon, simply watching the boy for a few moments before his head came to rest upon the ground before the boy. _"You shall come with me."_His deep voice rumbled, and another sob left the woman, but the boy did not look back, his grin growing larger as he bound up to the Dragon, unable to contain himself and hugging his muzzle, causing the powerful creature to blink for a moment before a smile stretched his mouth, helping the child climb upon his neck, and instructing him where to hold to stay secure, and, ensuring the child did not look back, for he might change his mind from this enthusiasm, he took off in flight, wind billowing over the village once more as the cries of a mother took the place the song once took.

Then, images came at a blur, snapshots of time as the child grew from bright young boy to handsome man in a matter of moments, his growth only doubled with the size of the flames that were able to sit in his tanned hands, faces sometimes filled with joy, and other times dark and determined, robed in orange and black, a white scarf of scale always around his neck.

At last the dream took a solid image once more, another roar breaking sound, yet this time it was not one that filled him with joy, but one that filled him with dread, hood sat over his head as if it might serve some kind of protection, barefeet running over ruined ground as he tried to keep up, flames wrapping around him as he battled what seemed to be soldiers and cultists around him, others were by his side, dark hair, dark skin, scars covering most of his arms as silver caught in the glow of his flames, blue hair, pale skin, a warm blue green glow catching him each time he felt he would collapse in exhaustion. Allies. Brother and Sister. These words fluttered in his mind for a moment before they were gone.

Moving faster than humans should, teeth gritting with sharp fangs obvious despite the hoods that covered their faces, working in such sync that no words needed to be spoken, if one of them dodged a cultist, then the others knew to pick up the mess. Unstoppable, one would think. Until all three skid to a stop, a dark Dragon, marks of blue upon his scales and a maddened look within his eyes before them, and, standing within his shadow as a man, dark hair, red, unnatural eyes as white and black robes fluttered in an unfelt wind.

"I've been waiting for you, Natsu."

"You won't win. We'll stop you. No matter how long it takes. We'll stop you." A voice, _his voice_ replied in kind, hood flicking down to reveal _his face_, hazel eyes grim and determined, narrowed and almost hate filled. "We wont let you get away with what you've done Zeref. I said I'd stop you, and I will, even if it takes three hundred years."

But before a fight took place, the image shifted again, and even within his dream state, his stomach flipped, bodies lay broken upon the ground, breathing labored and blood pooling, was it his past? Was it his future? Natsu didn't know, but even in his dreams, looking at himself so pale and close to death was unsettling, robes ripped and ruined, scarf tainted black instead of white, the bodies of his companions strewn not so far away as three large black shadows circled before landing.

_"I wont let this be their fate."_ Once voice spoke, feminine, sweet. _"Humanities fate."_

_"What use are they now? If they fell here, they'll fall again." _Another voice, gruff, menacing, but a tinge of regret, fear, pain was wrapped in each of those words.

_"As much as it pains me, you are right. No matter how much we pick them up again. They shall only fall to him again. But that doesn't mean it has to be their fate. Atlas spoke to me."_ Another voice, Natsu knew this one, one that always filled him with warmth and hope, love.

_"Igneel?"_

_"Something drew him to the future. My son, he was there."_

_"Impossible!"_

_"No. I think that is their true fate. Only the combined might of humanity, not just a chosen few, can rid of us of this menace."_

_"And what of E.N.D?"_

_"I will seal him."_

_"And how to we get the brats to the future?"_

_"…The stars. But it… perhaps, would be best if they do not remember this."_

The world faded to dark once again, and Natsu felt the stirrings of wakening, but, before everything faded into the soft pastels of Lucy Heartfilia's room, a voice, his voice, echoed in his head once more.

"I am a Dragon Slayer. Chosen by the Fire King Igneel. Both Priest and Warrior. Sent to the future to defeat Zeref and Acnologia. To insure the world never again falls to darkness."

And with a gasp, Natsu was awake once more, sitting upright in the Celestial mages bed, dream, memories, completely forgotten.

"Natsu?" The sleepy voice of the blonde caused him to turn.

"Mm, I'm fine. Weird dream."

"Wanna talk about it?"

"Nah, cant remember it."

"Good. GET OUT OF MY BED!"


End file.
